<p>Optimal efficiency in ecological restoration of degraded ecosystems in the Amazon has become a demand of global interest. The objective of this study was to investigate the trajectory of ecosystems under restoration in two (PL2) and seven (PL7) years since the initial seedling planting with tree species after bauxite mining in Eastern Amazon, Brazil. Soil’s physical and chemical parameters (organic matter, bulk density, porosity, infiltration, and fertility) and attributes of the established vegetation (abundance of individuals and families, Hill numbers - H0, H1, and H2, non-metric multidimensional scaling - nMDS and distance-based redundancy analysis - dbRDA) were assessed. Planting seven-year-old seedlings led to the establishment of vegetation with diversity metrics comparable to those of the reference forest, particularly in the upper vegetation stratum. However, this ecosystem has not improved the soil’s physical quality and did not promote increase in organic matter in relation to the 2-year-old seedling planting restoration ecosystem. This was mainly due to inadequate operational procedures, such as the control of regenerating plants, terrain reconstruction with moist substrate, and the use of some non-adapted tree species in the initial seedling planting. Restoring areas need to be monitored and restoration methods and procedures reviewed in order to optimize restoration processes after bauxite mining in the Amazon.</p>